National

Mushrif refutes claim in BJP advertisement, threatens legal action

The Milli Gazette Online

Published Online: Mar 01, 2014

New Delhi: Former IG Police Maharashtra Mr S.M. Mushrif has strongly objected to an advertisement published by the Vapi unit of the BJP in some newspapers including the Delhi edition of the Indian Express, 27 February. He has stressed that he has been quoted out of context and sentences have been added to what he actually said about Modi in an article in the Milli Gazette in April last year. Mr Mushrif has demanded an apology and publication of denial in the same newspapers where the said advertisement was published. Failing this he has said that he will taken legal action against the persons responsible for this advertisement which has lowered his image in the public eye and has defamed him.

Mushrif is most remembered for exposing the Abdul Karim Telgi fake stamp paper scam. He took voluntary retirement in October 2005. In October 2009 he wrote the bestseller Who Killed Karkare? which has been translated in many languages and this year in January his another hard hitting book 26/11 Probe: Why Judiciary Also Failed? (with DVD) was released .

Following is the full text of the letter which has also been sent to the Indian Express, Chairman, Press Council of India, Election Commission of India and President, BJP, Gujarat State:

The National President,

Bhartiya Janta Party

This has a reference to the advertisement published by Vapi unit of the BJP in the Delhi edition of the Indian Express dated 27th Feb. 2014 (copy is attached). In the advertisement, apparently aimed at projecting Gujarat C.M. Mr. Narendra Modi as the BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate for the Lok Sabha elections 2014, following sentences have been attributed to me:

“The most safe place for Muslims today is Gujarat. I dealt with several states. But no Chief Minister is as good, as strong and determined as Modi. Now even Muslims realize that Modi is good for them.”

I would like to point out that the part of the above quote viz. “I dealt with several states. But no Chief Minister is as good, as strong and determined as Modi. Now even Muslims realize that Modi is good for them” is absolutely wrong. I have never said so or written so anywhere.

So far as the first sentence, viz., “The most safe place for Muslims today is Gujarat” is concerned, it was only a part of a sentence from my article published in the English fortnightly “The Milli Gazette” in its issue dated 1-15 April 2013. But this is not the full sentence and hence does not correctly convey my point of view. The full sentence was as follows: “The most safe place for Muslims today is Gujarat, only because its Chief Minister Mr. Narendra Modi has ‘banned’ entry to the IB in Gujarat”. This sentence is followed by three sentences, viz., “After spending more than 40 years in the RSS, Mr. Modi has now understood the games the hardcore elements in the RSS have been playing in the guise of the IB. After ‘banning’ IB, the Muslim atrocities in Gujarat have stopped. That is what is required to be done if we want to put a full stop to fake encounters, false terror attacks, their fabricated investigations and arrests of innocent Muslim boys.” These four sentences taken together bring out my point home correctly.

But by quoting only a part of the sentence from my article out of context and also by wrongly attributing many more sentences to me, your Vapi unit has lowered my image in the public eye and has defamed me. Moreover, courtesy demanded that the office-bearers concerned obtained my prior permission before using my name and photograph in the advertisement of your political party. But they have failed to do so. Thus, they are liable for action, both criminal & civil.

You are hereby requested to give suitable clarification in this regard and ensure that the same is prominently published in all the newspapers in which the above advertisement has been published, failing which I shall be constrained to take criminal and/or civil action against the party.